My experience after 2 years and starting over

[Darkhound]

Well,, the nostalgia is there...
I sense the game a bit more "stable" and well it is obviously in a very mature , if not "final" stage. Even so, the game has still life ahead of it, at least, i hope it does.

The levle sync system seems to work wonders and makes things easier. But I guess I am for a tough challenge as I am starting all over again.

Playing the game from start, knowing many many things, does make a lot of difference, still the xp grind is there.

I would like to hear your comments and suggestions on what job do you think would make things go faster...

What jobs are wnated the most and what jobs are useless..

I used to be a SMN.. and i love the job, but i am not so sure i want to go that way again..

Thanks in advance!

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

Well there's no job that's useless, just less desired in various situations. Pet jobs still kinda get the short end of the stick in FFXI and even with all the changes, they're still frowned upon for most high level functions with the sole exception of SMN.

SMN in EXP is pretty much the same as ever, either you'll be invited as a healer or you'll pull your hair out and wish to solo instead. People tend to see mages as a one-member slot to fill these days, so even BLMs solo a lot now. Though if you still wish to be a SMN, you may wish to buddy up with Scholars and Dancers as they help lighten the load on healing considerably, as to White Mage and Red Mage, as always.

Jobs that are wanted the most these days are:

Red Mage
Bard
Corsair
Scholar
Ninja
Paladin
Warrior
Monk
Samurai

Big thing these days is while most people find most jobs acceptable, you'll probably want one of those jobs levelled up as well to find a stronger niche in high level events, preferably something else besides a melee job. Lots of linkshells have tons of DDs and tank jobs at thier disposal, but support classes and healers, as always, remain scarce and have a high turnover rate.

Ultimately, though, I say take the newer jobs for a spin if you haven't already and see if you take a liking to any of them. Blue Mage, Corsair, Puppetmaster, Scholar and Dancer all have thier own unique charm and are fairly fun to play.

At the end of the day, what matters is playing the job you enjoy. Don't play something just to be wanted for events because that's usually the path to misery in this game.

[Darkhound]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

Thanks for your reply.

I was thinking in Leveling a Warrior.... BUT i guess I will take SMN up again.
You say that SMN does have action in endgame right?

I am also temped in leveling BLU AND COR, but i am not sure.
Which of those 2 jobs so you suggest?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

You say that SMN does have action in endgame right?

Yeah, they still get action at endgame, so its really the journey to 75 that's hard. Though they have it hard on meritting, it seems. I've never turned down a SMN PT on my COR, though, those are great fun at 75.

At 70+ you may wish to consider having a Scholar subjob prepared in addition to White Mage. SMN now has an ability at 45 (i think) called Spirit Siphon, which allows you to draw MP from your elementals (be sure to match the elemental with the day and cap summoning skill for max effect. Additionally. SCH has an ability called Sublimation at 35 that lets them DoT thier HP down slowly in exchange for MP you'll store up to use later. So these two abilites are pretty handy to a SMN.

I am also temped in leveling BLU AND COR, but i am not sure.
Which of those 2 jobs so you suggest?

Both BLU and COR take a bit of time and commitment to play, which you're likely used to if you play SMN. BLU has to learn spells from mobs, which will take some patience since learning doesn't always happen on the first and sometimes even umpteenth try. BLUs are extremely popular for CoP missions (and SMN remains popular as ever for them) because they have several Stun-type spells, along with high damage spells and useful magic.

BLU is a powerhouse, but they struggle in endgame because a lot of thier spells feed a mob TP and people don't like that with the big HNMs. Things like Dynamis and Limbus they're not turned away from, though.

COR is like playing BRD with a RNG focus, so if you plan to play the job seriously, be prepared with lots of gil. As ot the addition of Level Sync, COR became FFXI's most expensive job hands-down and if you wish to play it to full potential, you'll want to spend the gil. COR is welcomed in PTs, missions and high level events for its abiliites.

While COR has many melee buffs, some resembling BRD's, they also have access to more mage buffs and also have pet buffs exclusive to them, so they get to see the most party variety of any support class. You can be in a balanced or melee oriented PT and be welcome to DD COR/RNG, you can join manaburn or even pet-based PTs PTs and play full support as COR/WHM.

Both COR and BLU have a lot of subjobs to work out if you want to play them to thier fullest potential. For BLU, I'd say level WAR, NIN, DNC and WHM subjobs at minimum so you have some versatility. BLU can be played as a healer in a pinch, but its not common, they usually play DDs.

For COR, I'd say level RNG, NIN, WHM at minimum and optionally level WAR, BRD, RDM and/or BLU subs. These are for various reasons, which you can find in my COR guide in the "A Gambler's Life," which is my COR guide here on DiV.
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Just to add:

If you did happen to like playing support as a SMN, you may want to take a serious look at Scholar. They have similar AoE tricks to summoner and are actually a better healer as they get higher in level. They're played more like a BLM in the low levels since thier Curative abilites come in the early 30s and 40s, which is rather late compared to other mages, but after 40, they're a very capable healer and only become moreso as time moves on.

SCH, like COR, also enjoys variety in high level PTs - TP burn, manaburn and also they solo very capably at 68+. BLMs enjoy them in manaburn for thier weather magic and SCHs also compete pretty well in terms of nuking by having access to Tier IV Black Magic.

[Darkhound]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

Seems that SMN is what i would go.. so level WHM and SCH you say right?
I guess I will stop wasting my time and just go level smn

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

Yeah, WHM and SCH would be your big subs, so just work those out if you plan to take SMN all the way.

[Ziero]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

I say

Worry about endgame when you get to endgame. Until then, have fun on the way up. And the best way to do that is to find a good LS that welcomes lowbies and helps out when they can. A good LS alone will be more then enough to hold someone in this game and keep them playing, especially with this new ability to join pts with people regardless of lvling. I personally have always hated lfg and random PTs, but with lvl synch I find myself joining LS pts frequently, at all sorts of lvls, to help someone lvling a new jobs/sub while at the same time gaining merits/exp myself.

For as much as the game has changed, one thing is still the same. Good friends keep this game fun.

[Darkhound]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

Thank you for your input!
Now.... how long of a life do you think the game has ahead of it?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

I say the life of the game is pretty safe, we're at 500,000 players and seems a lot of new blood is coming in with the new 14-day trial now.

[Darkhound]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

That is good to hear.
What pains me the most, is that il have to do ZM COP all over agian.

I dont knwo if people are still willing to help with that.
I rememver it requieres alot of ppl to get those done.. alot

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

As of the last update, there's been a lot of people rushing to get CoPs done. I don't know why, they weren't THAT hard before the update.

I guess people are just THAT lazy about gearing up for it.

[Durahansolo]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

As of the last update, there's been a lot of people rushing to get CoPs done. I don't know why, they weren't THAT hard before the update.

I guess people are just THAT lazy about gearing up for it.

Our social/event LS just started doing CoPs this weekend. We won Holla Dem and Mea, and also grabbed a few new members along the way since we went in as a alliance with some peeps that weren't in our LS.

[Darkhound]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

Thinking also about FAME and getting everthng back.. is a headache.. buty i am upf or the challenge...

my mind is set.. ill level SMN all the way

[Ziero]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

Zilart is lolworthy as ever, and even easier now so that shouldn't be a problem. But CoP, even with the lvl synch/gear scaling change is still a long, hard bitch to get through. As it should be. No other mission chain in the game comes close to the experiance of CoP. And if the past expansions are any indication, no other mission chain will ever again come close to the experiance of CoP.

[Darkhound]

Re: My experience after 2 years and starting over

I am up for it... but i dont knwo what i was thinking levelng WAR.
I am a summoner at heart, and that is the Way I will remain!!!